Monte Morris has been the catalyst of one of the most efficient offenses in college basketball, as he has led an Iowa State team that hasn't finished below 12th in offensive efficiency in his four seasons. After breaking into the starting lineup midway through his freshman season, Morris has emerged as one of the most successful Cyclone players in history with the school advancing to the NCAA Tournament all four years while setting numerous school records, including the new record for total assists and steals.

Morris has been a steady hand at the point guard position as he lead the NCAA in assist to turnover ratio in three of his four seasons (finishing fifth in his junior season), posting an impressive career mark of 4.65. He's done so in an NBA style offense, with 44.5% of his derived offense coming from play types where he has been the pick and roll ball handler, creating 1.0 points per possession as a senior which ranked 16th among the 108 players who have at least 10 such possessions per game as logged by Synergy Sports Technology.

Although Morris may not be the flashiest or most athletic prospect, teams are always searching for reliable point guards who can initiate an offense, especially one built around ball screens. Measured at 6'3 with a 6'5 wingspan, he has adequate size for a point guard, but isn't an imposing prospect, as he will need to significantly bulk up his skinny 175 pound frame to handle physical play at the next level. What Morris lacks in physical tools he makes up for in basketball IQ and feel for the game, as he is extremely calm and steady with the ball which allows him to see the whole floor and always seems to make the right reads to make on target passes to his teammates.

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There is no doubting Morris' proficiency as a passer, as he topped out at a 8.16 pure point rating as a senior, one of only seven players since 2010 with a PPR over 8.0. He has every pass in the book in his repertoire, as he can thread the needle on interior passes or make accurate kick out passes to shooters.

To stick in a NBA rotation long-term, Morris will need to develop ways to create offense for himself and become a more prolific scoring threat, which would open up even more passing lanes as he draws the attention of the defense. As a scorer, Morris has averaged just 13.8 points per 40 minutes pace adjusted over his collegiate career but hasn't been a highly efficient scorer as his 56% true shooting percentage as a senior [57% for his career] ranked sixth worst among point guards in our top 100. Morris' usage rate has increased every year as he has asked to take on a larger scoring role and in a smaller role as a scorer, he may be able to see an increase in his efficiency as he can be more selective with his field goal attempts.

Morris relies on a change of speed and impressive footwork to get into space in the lane rather than a quick first step to get past his initial defender. This can be a difficult way to consistently get open looks inside the arc which leads to heavily contested two point field goal attempts, especially with Morris being a primarily below the rim player. His 55.4% conversion rate at the rim is just an average mark and he doesn't have the frame to be able to confidently absorb contact as he gets to the line only 3.6 times per 40 minutes. He has become better at dropping floaters over rim protectors before he gets to the restricted area and that will likely become a key part of his scoring arsenal inside the arc at the next level.

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Morris has had mixed results as a jump shooter and hasn't yet shown that he has the mechanics to stretch his shot to NBA range. While he has converted at a satisfactory rate of 38% on his three point attempts for his career, he has done so on a small sample of just 3.4 attempts per 40 minutes. His mechanics are promising from the mid-range area where he is confident pulling up off the dribble (42% on 52 attempts as a senior) but his accuracy becomes less consistent as the shot distance becomes longer. He has a host of problems he needs to improve upon in order to be able to be a capable NBA shooter, starting with his poor fundamentals on his release and ending with his tendency to fade sideways as he lands. He does not need to be an elite jump shooter, especially when off the ball, but he will need to be able to keep defenses honest and make them pay when they go under ball screens. He is a confident shooter, showing no hesitation pulling up from 15 feet and out, but he will need significant improvement in his mechanics to extend his range.

His intelligence and feel is also displayed on the defensive end, as he uses his instincts and quick hands to generate 1.9 steals per 40 minutes over his career. He always seems to be in the right spot defensively, making it difficult for his opponent to get an easy look at the rim as he is often in proper position to get a hand in his opponent's face and contest shots.

He isn't a perfect defensive prospect even for someone who is likely only able to defend point guards at the next level. He gets caught on screens easily and doesn't have the strength to fight through them and stay in the play. He has an average level of lateral quickness and he can be knocked off balance while defending the ball and isn't always able to quickly get back in front of his man. Morris will need to focus on mastering a defensive system and bringing a high level of energy each possession to provide as much value on that end as possible.

Morris brings plenty of intangibles to the table after leading a NBA style offense for four years as he never missed a game for Iowa State, playing in 140 total games and starting in 121 straight games, and has developed a high feel for the game on both ends of the floor. One of the younger seniors in our top 100, not turning 22 until a few days after the 2017 NBA Draft, there are certainly key skill areas where Morris will need to improve and although his upside may be somewhat limited by his relatively average athleticism and frame, it's easy to see how some teams could view him as a player who could step in right away and run a NBA offense coming off the bench.

After a very strong freshman season, Monte Morris took another step in his development as a sophomore, becoming a full-time starter for Iowa State, who were ranked among the top teams in college basketball for much of the season before being upset in the NCAA Tournament's Round of 64 by UAB. He was named to the Big 12's Second-Team All-Conference squad, and garnered an invite to try out for the USA Basketball Pan-Am roster this summer. Already sporting a 53-17 record over the past two years, and winning the Big 12 tournament in both seasons, Morris has already enjoyed quite a bit of success at the team level as an underclassman.

With beloved Fred Hoiberg off to coach the Chicago Bulls, we will get to see Morris in a different light this season, under the reigns of former Murray State head coach Steve Prohm. There is a case to be made for Morris as one of the top returning point guards in college basketball, after posting some of the best passing metrics in the country the past two seasons. Morris ranked first in the NCAA in assist to turnover ratio, by a wide margin, and came in third in Pure Point Rating (PPR), behind now graduated seniors T.J. McConnell and Brett Comer.

As a sophomore, Morris showed that his spectacular playmaking numbers as a freshman were far from a fluke, something that there was some concern about due to the inordinately small role (11.6% usage) he played offensively for Iowa State alongside the ball-dominant DeAndre Kane. He still wasn't a huge scorer, with his 13.1 points per-40 pace adjusted being among the lowest compared with other DX Top-100 PGs, but he was extremely efficient offensively with his pass-first style of play, posting a strong 59% TS%.

Morris is a prolific pick and roll player, seeing nearly 10 possessions per game in that situation, and ranking #1 among returning draft prospects with the 1.043 PPP he posted. He is a strong and steady ball-handler who does a great job of surveying the defense, evaluating his options and reacting to what's happening on the floor. He can drive and dish, find open shooters on the weak side, make post-entry feeds and also dish the ball over the top of the defense with flashy lobs. He has excellent timing on his passes, and outstanding court vision.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Morris' playmaking is how infrequently he turns the ball over. Iowa State played at a breakneck pace, faster than any other high-major college team besides Arkansas, LSU and North Carolina, but he regardless averaged just 1.2 turnovers per-40 minutes last season, coughing up the ball on just 10.8% of his possessions, which is lower than any point guard drafted in the last three years.

At 6-3, Morris has good size for the point guard position, although his 175 pound frame still has a ways to go in terms of filling out. He doesn't possess blazing speed or incredible explosiveness, which, when combined with his lack of strength, makes it difficult for him to get by opposing guards at times. He does do a nice job of playing at different speeds, showing the ability to change pace and use crafty ball-handling moves to keep defenders off balance, and showed progress with his frame this past summer with USA Basketball.

When asked to go out and create a shot on his own, he struggled at times last season, especially against some of the better competition Iowa State faced. As effective as Morris was in the pick and roll last season, he was extremely average in isolation situations, which is an area NBA teams will want to see him get better at, as pro point guards absolutely need to have the ability to improvise on the fly in late-clock situations.

Morris can handle the ball with either hand, but he tends to favor his right when it comes to finishing around the basket. Because of his average strength and explosiveness, he isn't always able to make it all the way to the rim and finish in traffic, and has thus developed a nice floater he can get off from 5-8 feet away that he was extremely effective with last season. Still, NBA teams will want to see Morris do a better job of creating and finishing through contact inside the paint as an upperclassman, as he doesn't get to the free throw line at a great rate.

Morris shows very nice potential as a shooter, hitting a career 40% of his 3-pointers thus far, and 80% of his free throws. 3-pointers have never made up a huge part of his offensive arsenal, though, with just 26% of his field goal attempts coming from beyond the arc last season. Considering his limitations as a finisher around the basket, this is an important trait for him to have.

Morris possesses smooth and consistent shooting mechanics, and showed potential as a shooter both with his feet set and off the dribble the last two seasons. He can still stand to improve the quickness of his release and do a better job of creating separation from defenders with his pull-ups, but he's shown improvement in this area the last two years.

Defensively is where Morris will need to improve to play the type of NBA role his skill-set says he's ideally suited for. On an Iowa State team known more for their offense prowess than for getting stops, Morris had some nice moments from time to time, but was very inconsistent overall. He has the size and length needed to defend either guard position at the college level, and will get up on opposing ball-handlers and put solid pressure on the ball at times, getting in the passing lanes at a nice rate (2.1 steals per-40).

With that said, Morris' intensity level wavers too frequently, as it's not rare to see him falling asleep in his stance, struggling to get through screens, and being a split-second late closing out on shooters. His lack of strength can cause him to get overpowered on dribble penetration at times, and his effectiveness at the end of games and in late-clock situations isn't always ideal.

Since he doesn't project to be a prolific scorer in the NBA, teams will want to see him develop into a plus defender that a coach can count on to defend his position with intensity, but considering his age and lack of experience, he has plenty of time to continue to develop that part of his game.

Only having turned 20 this past summer, Morris is one of the younger prospects in the junior class, and is in fact younger than a number of sophomores who are likely to get drafted this upcoming June. No longer an underclassman, it will be interesting to see how Morris evolves as a junior under a new head coach and in a backcourt that has lost some firepower from last season. Another strong year could absolutely propel him into strong draft consideration this spring.

The 96th ranked player in the high school class of 2013 according to the RSCI, Monte Morris had an extremely efficient freshman year for the Cyclones in a very compact role, averaging 6.8 points and 3.7 assist per-game while shooting 41% from three-point range in just under 30 minutes per-game.

Standing 6'2 with nice length, but a narrow frame he'll need to improve in the coming seasons, Morris is a lean shooter who has the quickness to attack a bit off the dribble and the speed to be a factor pushing the ball himself in the open floor.

Skill-wise, Morris does the majority of his damage by virtue of his tremendous shooting touch. A terrific set shooter who knocked down 43.1% of his catch-and-shoot jump shots in Fred Hoiberg's NBA-style offense, Morris was the beneficiary of the attention defenses paid to Melvin Ejim and DeAndre Kane.

With Kane and Ejim moving on to the professional ranks, the onus will fall on Morris, among others, to pick up their production in other areas. Morris did quite a bit of scoring in transition a year ago, but his shot selection left something to be desired. He finished at a below average rate around the rim, and shot a surprisingly poor percentage pulling-up off the dribble against a set defense in limited attempts, two areas to keep an eye on as Morris likely transitions into a much higher usage role as a sophomore.

A capable passer, Morris averaged 4.9 assists per-40 minutes pace adjusted a year ago despite playing primarily off the ball. Lacking great explosiveness, Morris is not a prolific drive and dish threat, but he's an unselfish facilitator in the half court. Feeding the post, swinging the ball, and making the simple pass in the two-man game, Morris could provide Iowa State with some relief as it looks to replace Kane's dominant presence. His passing ability, combined with his tremendous proficiency for avoiding turnovers, helped him post one of the best pure point and assist to turnover ratios for a freshman in the past 15 years of college basketball.

Defensively, Morris plays with nice intensity and possesses solid lateral quickness, but his lack of strength is a concern long-term. He makes some mistakes from time to time like most freshman, whether it is helping or closing out too-aggressively, but he played with a desire, especially in the post season, that should help him become a very capable defender at the college level.

With players like Morris, it's ambitious to look too far past that. Playing such heavy minutes but such a small role as a freshman, Morris showed some potentially interesting tools, but he's still a ways away from being a viable draft prospect. Nonetheless, he's a player whose growth is worth monitoring.